FRISCO, Texas — Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen will be out indefinitely with mononucleosis, the team announced Thursday morning, dealing a blow to a team in the midst of a playoff chase.
Heiskanen missed the last three games with what was deemed a “non-COVID-related illness” but appeared to be on his way back to action. On Tuesday in Nashville, he was on the ice for morning skate, and coach Rick Bowness said Heiskanen would be back in time for Saturday’s game against the Rangers.
But then came Thursday’s announcement. The Stars also placed Heiskanen on injured reserve retroactive to March 2, and Bowness classified Heiskanen as “week to week.”
“We knew last week it was probably something a little stronger than a flu bug,” Bowness said after optional practice on Thursday morning. “His eyes were red, his cheek was puffy, his color was bad. We were afraid there was something more than just a flu bug. Unfortunately, it is mono. It’s week to week. That’s basically what we’re going to do. Just monitor as best we can.”
Bowness said Heiskanen is not cleared to skate on his own, and he was not sure when Heiskanen would be re-evaluated.
“The doctors have got it, and we trust the doctors,” Bowness said. “They’ll tell us what’s going on.”
Heiskanen leaves many holes on the Stars roster, and they’ve shown how they will fill his absence in various parts of the game.
At even-strength, Jani Hakanpää joined Ryan Suter and logged the biggest minutes of his career. In each of the last three games, Hakanpää has played at least 25 minutes, including a career-high 28:35 in Minnesota on Sunday. Prior to last week, Hakanpää had only played more than 25 minutes once in his NHL career.
Hakanpää provides size and physicality on the back end, but the Stars badly miss Heiskanen’s puck-moving ability when Hakanpää is on the ice — particularly on Tuesday in Nashville against a heavy forecheck.
How will the Stars try to break the puck out without Heiskanen to do it?
“You can’t really change everything you’re doing,” Bowness said. “We’ve always had that low forward when we’re breaking the puck out. It’s different skill level now, different people handling the puck. That’s what it is. You can’t go into a lot of drastic changes at this point. The principles stay the same, the concepts stay the same. It’s just different people handling the puck.”
John Klingberg will also assume more responsibility for driving offense from the back end.
On the power play, Esa Lindell is now on the top power play unit. Jason Robertson moved from the bumper to the flank, and the Stars inserted Lindell in the middle of their power play formation. It’s possible Jacob Peterson assumes that role when he re-enters the lineup, or the Stars could move Tyler Seguin up a unit and fill a hole on the second unit.
While Thomas Harley possesses the traits to make him successful on the power play, the Stars have been reluctant to use him ahead of Lindell.
Joel Hanley has taken Heiskanen’s spot on the penalty kill, partnering with Suter while shorthanded.
With Andrej Sekera still out with a non-COVID viral infection — Bowness said there was no target for Sekera’s return and he’s considered “day to day” — that means Harley and Hanley will remain in the Stars lineup while Heiskanen is out.
“They’re given the opportunity and both those guys are taking full advantage of it,” Bowness said. “Joel Hanley gives you everything he’s got every game. He’s in there battling, it doesn’t matter the size of the guy. … Thomas has come a long way from where he was a couple years ago to where he is today. He’ll keep getting better, there’s no question.”
Heiskanen has had tough luck with illnesses.
Last season, he was impacted by COVID-19. This season, he missed a game in December due to a bug that was going around the Stars dressing room. Now, mono will keep him out until further notice.
“The most important thing is take care of himself,” Bowness said.
Stars sign Poirier: The Stars signed prospect goaltender Remi Poirier to a three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday afternoon, inking another piece of their 2020 draft class. Poirier’s contract will begin next season.
Poirier currently plays for Gatineau in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and leads the league in both save percentage (.919) and goals against average (2.24). Poirier was originally a sixth-round pick in 2020, and the Stars would have lost his rights if they did not sign him by June 1.
On March 1, the Stars signed prospect Antonio Stranges to an entry-level contract that begins next season. Stranges was a fourth-round pick in 2020.
With Poirier signed, the Stars only have two unsigned prospects with upcoming signing deadlines. Defenseman Ben Brinkman (2019 sixth-round pick) will become a free agent if the Stars do not sign him by Aug. 15. Brinkman is a senior, stay-at-home defenseman at the University of Minnesota.
The Stars will lose the rights to forward Albin Eriksson (2018 second-round pick) if he does not sign by June 1. Eriksson went two seasons in the SHL without scoring a goal, and has five in Finland’s Liiga this season.
Briefly: The Stars had an optional practice on Thursday. Here’s who was on the ice: Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov, Luke Glendening, Jacob Peterson, Joel Kiviranta, Riley Tufte, Thomas Harley and Jake Oettinger.
